Water for sustainable development in the 21st century

JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS-COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, 2008

(Summary) Three types of water crises appear prominently in academic and professional discourse. These are: 1. crisis of access to safe drinking water, 2. crisis of pollution, and 3. crisis of scarcity. One of the dimensions of global water crises is already obvious to many; the problems of water access, water quality and scarcity are felt nearly everywhere, most prominently with the world's poor and under-represented. When people focus on the issue of scarcity it is easier to identify the global nature of these crises as well ...

Water International, 2000

Water resources management approaches around the world are changing dramatically. This changing water paradigm has many components, including a shift away from sole, or even primary, reliance on finding new sources of supply to address perceived new demands, a growing emphasis on incorporating ecological values into water policy, a re-emphasis on meeting basic human needs for water services, and a conscious breaking of the ties between economic growth and water use. A reliance on physical solutions continues to dominate traditional planning approaches, but these solutions are facing increasing opposition. At the same time, new methods are being developed to meet the demands of growing populations without requiring major new construction or new large-scale water transfers from one region to another. More and more water suppliers and planning agencies are beginning to explore efficiency improvements, implement options for managing demand, and reallocating water among users to reduce projected gaps and meet future needs. The connections between water and food are receiving increasing attention as the concerns of food experts begin to encompass the realities of water availability. These shifts have not come easily; they have met strong internal opposition. They are still not universally accepted, and they may not be permanent. Nevertheless, these changes represent a real shift in the way humans think about water use. This paper summarizes the components of this ongoing shift and looks at the new paths being explored. It evaluates the major reasons for the change in approach and discusses the applicability of these new concepts in different parts of the world.

The World’s Water, 2014

Growing pressure on the world's water resources is having major impacts on our social and economic well-being. Even as the planet's endowment of water is expected to remain constant, human appropriation of water, already at 50 percent by some measures, is expected to increase further (Postel et al. 1996). Pressures on water resources are likely to worsen in response to population growth, shifts toward more meat-based diets, climate change, and other challenges. Moreover, the world's water is increasingly becoming degraded in quality, raising the cost of treatment and threatening human and ecosystem health (Palaniappan et al. 2010). Furthermore, the physical availability of freshwater resources does not guarantee that a safe, affordable water supply is available to all. At least 780 million people do not have access to clean drinking water, some 2.5 billion people lack access to safe sanitation systems, and 2-5 million people-mainly children-die as a result of preventable water-related diseases every year (Gleick 2002; UN 2009; WHO and UNICEF 2012). There is growing recognition that the scope and complexity of water-related challenges extend beyond national and regional boundaries and therefore cannot be adequately addressed solely by national or regional policies. In a recent report, the United Nations notes that "water has long ceased to be solely a local issue" (UN 2012a, 40). In particular, widespread water scarcity and lack of access to water supply and sanitation threaten socioeconomic development and national security for countries around the world. Additionally, people around the world share and exchange water directly and indirectly through natural hydrologic units and systems and through global trade (i.e., "virtual water," discussed below). Furthermore, climate change and the growing presence of multinational companies within the water sector play a role in globalizing water issues (Hoekstra 2006). Over the past sixty years, a number of efforts have sought to address the many challenges facing the water sector. Early efforts to address these challenges were almost entirely based on developing large-scale physical infrastructure, such as dams and reservoirs, to produce new water supplies. Amid a growing recognition that technology and infrastructure alone were not sufficient to address persistent water management concerns, discourse about water governance began to emerge in the early 1990s. In its first World Water Development Report, the United Nations strongly stated that the "water Global Water Challenges As described below, the scope and complexity of water-related challenges extend beyond traditional national and regional boundaries. Such challenges require broader thinking and more comprehensive solutions. Water Scarcity Water scarcity is a major challenge, affecting every continent around the world. Water scarcity occurs when water demand nears (or exceeds) the available water supply. Several groups, including the World Resources Institute and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), have developed tools to promote a better understanding of where and how water risks are emerging around the world. The IWMI, for example, estimates that 1.2 billion people-nearly 20 percent of the world's population-live in areas of physical water scarcity, where water withdrawals for agriculture, industry, and domestic purposes exceed 75 percent of river flows. An additional 500 million people live in areas approaching physical scarcity. Another 1.6 billion people live in areas of economic water scarcity, where water is available but human capacity or financial resources limit access. In these areas, adequate infrastructure may not be available or, if water is available, its distribution may be inequitable (IWMI 2007). But water scarcity isn't solely a natural phenomenon; it's also a human one. Numerous human activities-such as untimely water use, pollution, insufficient or poorly maintained infrastructure, and inadequate management systems-can result in or exacerbate water scarcity. As noted by the United Nations, there are adequate water resources to meet our needs, but water "is distributed unevenly and too much of it is wasted, polluted and unsustainably managed" (UN 2012b). Widespread declines in groundwater levels are one symptom of water scarcity. Groundwater is an important source of freshwater in many parts of the world. Some areas, however, have become overly dependent on groundwater supplies. In the past two decades, advances in well-drilling techniques have significantly reduced the cost of extracting groundwater. Driven, in part, by these technological advancements, groundwater withdrawals have tripled over the past fifty years (UN 2012a). In some areas, the rate of groundwater extraction now consistently exceeds natural recharge rates, causing widespread depletion and declining groundwater levels. A recent analysis of groundwater extraction by hydrologist Yoshihide Wada and colleagues (2010) finds that depletion rates doubled between 1960 and 2000 and are especially high in parts of China, India, and the United States. Much of the groundwater extracted supports agriculture (67 percent), although it is also used for domestic (22 percent) and industrial (11 percent) purposes.

Emerging water issues in the 21st century, 2020

It almost sounds like a cliché: the 21st century is going to revolve around the fight for freshwater. Plenty of forecasts are available to describe ominous scenarios of the natural water circulation radically changing from 2030 to 2050, and most of the regions in the world crossing the threshold of being able to make up for the water used and polluted by humans. The most concerning issues are environmental degradation due to overpopulation and water scarcity. This paper focuses on global water scarcity and its projected implications.

Journal of Ecology & Natural Resources

Water Scarcity is one of the most important environmental hazards world-over associated with atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere. In spite of receiving intensive orographic rainfall, different sources of fresh water; most parts of the population is facing increasing water scarcity day by day. It is more prevalent in the under developed as well as developing countries, than in comparison to the developed ones. The water scarcity is having multiple reasons behind it. in the broader sense, the causes behind the water crisis are mainly of two types. They are either natural or anthropological. The present paper tries to focus on the mechanisms of water scarcity from the perspectives of physical processes and anthropogenic processes. Today's water scarcity in the developing and under developed world is mostly triggered by anthropogenic activities decreasing water supply both in relative term and absolute term. This paper finally presents some measures that can be taken...

The global population is estimated to increase from 7.3 billion at present to about 11.2 billion by 2100. Providing good quality of life for the existing hundreds of millions of people living in poverty and for the additional 3.9 billion people will be a challenging task under the best of circumstances. Many parts of the world are already facing serious water problems, both in terms of quality and quantity. Adding climate change scenarios further intensifies the uncertainties and complexities of the global situation by several orders of magnitude. The realities and politics of water security, climate change and sustainable development are likely to be one of the greatest challenges of the twenty-first century. Each country must rise to and meet these challenges successfully since there are no other alternatives. Status quo or incremental progress will not be an effective option.

Even though water policy has generally been considered to be an important issue, its rational formulation and implementation have basically received lip service in the past. Water policies in the 21st century must consider the important changes that have occurred during the past decade, and also the changes that are likely to occur in the coming years. All water policies have risks and uncertainties associated with them. The main changes and constraints are analysed. Water policies cannot be static: they should be considered to be a journey and not a destination. Future policies must address rapidly diversifying social interests and agendas that are likely to be awash in chaos, conicting views, rapid technological changes, globalization, relentless economic competition, political uncertainties and steadily increasing human aspirations. Theoretical and conceptual approaches, irrespective of their attractiveness, are not enough, unless they can be operationalized. This will not be an easy task, but one that must be undertaken.

Natural Resources Forum, 1996

This inquiry summarizes global water resources and patterns of use, applies indicators of water sustainability in order to identify areas of water stress, and examines prospects for water sustainability in the twenty-first century. It introduces a long-range conventional development scenario based on a vision of the future in which the values, consumption patterns, and dynamics of Western industrial society will be progressively played out on a global scale. The scenario helps clarify the constraints of a conventional picture of water development and provides a useful point of departure for examining alternative long-range scenarios and their implications for water and development policy. Originally published in Natural Resources Forum 20, no. 1 (February 1996): 1-15, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1477-8947.1996.tb00629.x/abstract.

At the request of the Secretariat of the Fourth World Water Forum, this paper has been prepared to serve as a "reference point for discussion" on the theme of Water for Growth and Development. It seeks to raise a very basic question -how can water resources be managed and developed to promote growth and alleviate poverty in a responsible manner? The dynamics of water, growth and poverty are extremely complex, and highly dependent upon specific physical, cultural, political and economic circumstances. The immediate goal of this paper is therefore to provoke discussion and strengthen understanding of the importance of water resources management and development in enabling responsible economic growth and poverty alleviation -fully mindful of the fact that this is just one of many aspects that must be weighed and understood in managing water resources. The paper's broader objective is to contribute to a constructive, comprehensive dialogue that will help inform the difficult trade-offs inherent in water management, and assist decision makers in finding the most acceptable balance among human aspirations for growth and poverty alleviation, social and cultural integrity, and environmental sustainability.

After decades of neglect, water has recently become a part of the international political agenda. However, the focus of the debate on the global water crisis is still wrong. The main crisis is unlikely to come from water scarcity, though some countries will find it difficult to manage such problems. Instead, it is likely to come from continuing and rapid water quality deterioration, and the availability of investment funds. Neither of these two issues is being adequately reflected in global water debates. In addition, the targets of the water-related Millennium Development Goals are unlikely to be achieved universally by 2015, until and unless consumers pay for the water services they receive. The subsidies should be very specifically targeted to the poor.